


I Would Battle Every Shadow

by sammys_lover



Series: October Writing Challenge '20 [5]
Category: Don't Starve (Video Game)
Genre: Anxiety Attacks, Comfort, Cuddling & Snuggling, F/M, Fluff, Halloween, Insanity, Kissing, Literal Sleeping Together, No editing we die like warriors, Protective Wilson, SO FLUFFY, Short, Spoilers, Supportive Wilson, Supportive Wolfgang, Terror, Yet another science husband, mild violence, october writing challenge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-05
Updated: 2020-10-05
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:21:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26843539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sammys_lover/pseuds/sammys_lover
Summary: Terror strikes your heart deep in the woodsAnd Wilson keeps you grounded.
Relationships: Wilson/Reader - Relationship, wilson higgsbury/reader
Series: October Writing Challenge '20 [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1949584
Comments: 3
Kudos: 37





	I Would Battle Every Shadow

You run through the brush, low hanging pine branches whipping you in the face as you scramble to return to base – something huge and looming was chasing you, and you can practically feel your sanity plummeting into the dirt as you gasp for breath, the chilled air burning your lungs with every pant. 

You can see the firelight in the distance as you run full-speed back to camp. 

You hear the hissing, rattling breath of the shadowy figure that seems to be gaining on you, breathing down your neck, dark wisps of pure nightmare curling around your ankles and intermingling with your hair an crawling under your skin- 

“WILSON!” 

Your scream rattles you even further as the sun finishes setting and you dive for camp, scrambling for Wilson, who catches you in his arms after dropping firewood all over the ground to make room. 

“Y/n-?! Dear, what- what's wrong?!” 

You gasp for breath, tears streaming down your face as you grip his shirt, desperately trying to communicate verbally before settling on waving your arms in the general direction of where you came from. 

The trees shake in the distance as the THING grows closer, and you press your back flat against Wilson’s chest as you whip around to face the trees, twitching slightly as your fingers reached for the spear you normally kept at your side. 

Wilson steps from behind you despite your breathy protests, calling out to Wolfgang, Wigfrid, and Willow for backup as the shaking of the trees drew closer. 

“Stay behind me, Y/n! Wolfgang, if things get too ugly, get Y/n and the others out of here!” 

Wolfgang nods, standing by your side as Wilson, Willow, and Wigfrid prepare themselves to come face to face with-! 

“Maxwell?!” 

Willow’s shout makes him cringe as he immerges from the trees, his shadow minions behind him. Seems they’d been helping him chop trees and stuff – oh, that bastard and his dark magic! 

You’re not as afraid now, but you- you can still see shadows and movement in the corner of your eye. Are there more? Are the shadows waiting? Is there something lurking there in the dark?! 

You find yourself looking back and forth, paranoid out of your mind, shaking like a leaf. 

“What the hell were you thinking?!” Wilson throws his weapon to the ground in outrage as he storms up to Maxwell. “Your damned shadows frightened Y/n half to death!” 

Maxwell tosses a glance your way, seeming pretty unfazed. 

“Perhaps next time she should be mindful of her surroundings. And her sanity.” 

Wilson don’t give him a chance to say something like that again – he clocks Maxwell, and one of the shadow minions with a sword throws himself forth – Wilson, however, simply throws another punch before the shadowy sword can land a blow – the thing dissipates into the air, and Wolfgang has to go and physically restrain Wilson – he just... picks him up. Quite easily. 

“Quiet now, tiny egghead man! Is all okay! Look – little egghead lady needs you.” He turns around and gently sets Wilson down in front of you. “Go. Be man. Wolfgang will speak to tiny frailman.” 

Wolfgang pats his shoulder in reassurance before walking towards another section of the camp where Wickerbottom was chewing Maxwell out as loudly as she could without waking Wendy or Webber. 

You jump horribly when Wilson touches your arm, quickly reassuring you when you shrink back. You... you feel a little bad. You’re not afraid of Wilson. You’re afraid of the things that lurk in the woods behind him. 

You find yourself taking shallow, uneven breaths as your anxiety constricts your lungs. You can’t calm down, you can’t calm down, you can’t calm down. 

You’re not aware you’re rocking back and forth until Wilson guides you to the tent you shared – you normally took turns, sleeping in shifts. 

He lets you into the tent first – it's the most comfort you’re going to get out here. It’s nice – the blankets are woven with grass and clean (the cleanest you could get it, that is,) beefalo hair, a makeshift bed and pillow made with downfeathers. 

You’d been so busy thinking about how fluffy the down feathers are that you don’t even notice Wilson pulling you close until your cheek is against his chest, and you’ve curled up into a little ball with him holding you. 

You wrap your arms around him and hold him tight, desperate for the contact – desperate to know that he won’t disappear like a shadow himself. 

“Wilson,” you whimper, eyes wide as you stare off at the fabric of the tent, your mind still muddled with the raw terror you were still experiencing. 

“Shh, shh, I’m here, it’s okay.” He holds you close, and it helps, to be in his arms like this – he's safe. He’s strong. He’s trustworthy. 

You listen to his words as he reassures you. 

“You’re safe now, my dear. You’re here with me, with Wolfgang, with Willow and Wickerbottom... we’re here to protect you. Nothing can get you inside this tent.” 

You have your doubts in the bac of your mind, but his reassuring whispers do help you feel better. You stop rocking completely, still as a stone. 

“I’m here,” he repeats, a hand petting your hair as he kisses your forehead. You breathe a shaky sigh of relief once he does. “I’m real. Are you seeing things that might not be there?” 

You scan the tent for the usual. The big, crawly thing. The even bigger, chase-y thing. No. Nothing. There are no blackened tendrils curling around your vision as you look around the little tent. He’s right. You’re okay. You’re safe here. 

You think you’ve evened out your breathing – Wilson had been taking deep breaths, and you had been following without paying attention, you guess. You can still feel you heart drumming on and on a little too quickly, even as you remember to breathe. 

Inhale Wilson. 

Exhale fear. 

You sniffle a little as you finally let your eyes relax, noting when the color starts to return to Wilson’s shirt – the world had looked so strange and dull and gray as you ran through the woods. You hadn’t realized just how much the world had lost its color when your sanity plummeted. 

“That’s it,” His soft praise is followed by him slowly guiding you to lay on the makeshift bed on the ground – you refuse to let him go, and he easily lays down side you, making sure you were covered with the grass blanket. The color had returned to that, too. “Any better, my darling?” 

You nod, tucking your head beneath his chin, the warmth of his body leaching through his clothes to you – you hadn’t realized how cold you were until just now. 

“Thank you.” 

He runs a hand up and down your back after you thank him, and you finally allow your eyes to flutter shut. Having him here made things seem... oh, so much better. 

“Of course. I would battle every shadow for you.” 

You smile a little, practically feeling your sanity returning to you the longer you were in the tent. Illusions of safety do wonders for the mind. 

You adjust yourself so you can kiss him gently for a moment before pressing your forehead to his. 

“I mean that, you know.” 

“I know, Will.” 

There’s a beat of silence. 

“And speaking of battles, let me punch Maxwell next time – I’ll get a pass. ‘cause of the insanity, you know how it is.” 

He laughs a little as you settle into “bed” and get comfortable on the pillow. 

“Get some rest now, Y/n. Give that beautiful mind a break.” 

You nod, too exhausted to want to stay up any later. 

As you doze off, you can feel your heart calming, your breathing steady, and fall into the comforting lull of sleep. The tent truly does do wonders when you sleep alone, but falling asleep entwined with Will made you feel twice as safe. Twice as sane. 

The both of you remain in the tent for the rest of the quiet night, the crackling of the campfire and soft breathing the only sound. 

And you sleep well.

**Author's Note:**

> "ah, fanfiction. Where I can live out my wildest fantasies!"
> 
> *Writes about getting a good night's sleep*


End file.
